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Tuesday, 28 March 2017

The Death Of Anna Karina are a five-piece screamo band from Italy that formed in 1999. Though they've gone through a few line-up changes and extended breaks, they've been active in some form for nearly twenty years now, which is almost unheard of for a screamo band. They've released three full-lengths to date, displaying the bands vast progression in style. Overall though, they could draw comparisons to other amazing screamo bands such as Orchid, Daitro and Envy, as well as the obvious Italian bands Raein and La Quiete. Aggressive, progressive, screamo, can't go wrong. Enjoy.

Saturday, 25 March 2017

I, Robot were a five-piece hardcore/screamo band from New Paltz, New York that were around from approx. 1998 to 2002. They played in the highly emotional vein of early hardcore/screamo bands such as Angel Hair and Mohinder, as well as tons of other fantastic bands from the Gravity Records roster. From quiet, melodic sections to intensive build-ups with some piercing shrieks for vocals, I, Robot kill. Their entire discography is compiled on Et Ceterea, which included their self-titled 7", split with The Cable Car Theory, as well as some demos and live tracks. Enjoy.

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

In/Humanity were a four-piece hardcore/screamo band from Columbia, South Carolina, that formed in 1992 and broke up in 1998. What this band is most renowned for is coining the term/genre of "emo violence". Essentially, it combines the emotional, melodic outbursts of emo/screamo with the intense, fast-paced aggressiveness of hardcore/powerviolence. The vocals are scorching, the instrumentals topple over each other, and their entire discography consists of nothing but pure, unadulterated, intensity mixed in with a plethora of film samples and such. This is one sprawling hour of chaos that cannot be missed for fans of aggressive music that doesn't take itself too seriously. Enjoy.

Friday, 17 March 2017

Lewd Acts were a four-piece hardcore band from San Diego, California that formed in 2004 and broke up in 2010, before briefly reuniting in 2012. They played a dark, aggressive form of hardcore that blended the sludgy, down-tuned sound of Cursed with the technical riffs of Converge, and the energy of a band like Blacklisted. This makes sense, since like all the aforementioned, Lewd Acts were also a Deathwish band. They only released one album, 2009's incredible Black Eye Blues, which is easily one of that decade's best hardcore releases. In addition, the compilation Dark Days includes all of the band's early (and fantastic) material. The cassette put out in 2012 contains demos recorded and distributed after they reunited. Not much else to say, except this is (relatively) "modern" hardcore at its finest. Enjoy.

Thursday, 16 March 2017

Recreational Drugs are a four-piece emo/indie band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 2015 as a side project by Matthew Frank, who is also a member of Their / They're / There, among others. They put out their debut instrumental EP at the end of 2015 on Count Your Lucky Stars. It contains bright guitars and intricate bass lines which take influence from the math rock/emo blend of Kinsella-core bands Owls and American Football. Last year they put out one demo track from a forthcoming album, which we will hopefully get to hear soon. If instrumental emo is something lacking in your life, Recreational Drugs is your fix. Enjoy.

Friday, 10 March 2017

The requests are killing me. I can no longer deny the awesomeness that is Mom Jeans., who put out an incredible album last year that is right up this blog's alley. Mom Jeans. are a three-piece punk/emo/indie band from Berkeley, California that formed in 2014. Best Buds is 10 tracks of catchy songs with unforgettably relatable lyrics. Fans of Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball, The Front Bottoms, Joyce Manor, and The Hotelier will undoubtedly fall in love with this record. I don't even know what else to say about this, honestly. This is a great album that has been requested to death, and one that I'm sure a lot of people here will get into it. Enjoy.

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Glocca Morra were a four-piece emo/indie band originally from Miami, Florida and later from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 2007 and broke up in 2015. These guys were one of the best bands who put out one of the best albums in this whole "emo revival" thing. Just Married is right up there with Some Kind of Cadwallader or I Could Do Whatever I Wanted If I Wanted as one of the Cap'n Jazz (I Wish I Was) albums ever. The band has a fantastic energy with some incredible songs that never take themselves too seriously, but still offer up some potency. I can't recommend this band enough to someone who thinks an indie/emo/punk hybrid thing sounds bada$$. Enjoy.

Saturday, 4 March 2017

This marks post numero 600. As always, thanks for continuing to check in on this blog throughout its five years of existence, and hope to continue sharing as much music as possible with you guys for another five. To mark the occasion, as I have in the past, I picked one particular band that I think is absolutely essential to check out. This time around it's Bikini Kill, a band whose relevance has not wavered, even decades after they formed. Thus, cementing them as one of the most important bands to ever emerge out of punk rock as a whole, and known for putting the "revolt" in "revolution", haha.

Bikini Kill formed in Olympia, Washington in 1990. What began as a fanzine eventually turned into a band consisting of Kathleen Hanna (vocals), Billy Karren (guitar), Kathi Wilcox (bass), and Tobi Vail (drums). Though their reputation tends to precede them, there's no denying that Bikini Kill, in the sole context of a punk rock band, were fantastic. They brought an unadulterated energy to their music that very few bands ever match. In a way, they formed as a response to the brutish male aggression that had begun to dominate hardcore punk, and ended up besting those bands at their own game. Bikini Kill were a unique creation, that still sound distinct thanks to some fantastic songwriting and Hanna's indescribably charismatic vocal performances.

Though they do stand on their own, they are also inseparably linked to a major movement in punk, riot grrrl, which they are often credited with having kick-started (along with Bratmobile and many others). Essentially, it was punk's feminist movement (and also a major factor in third-wave feminism), in which many bands began addressing women's rights issues, in addition to a plethora of other sociopolitical subjects. I can't think of a better example than Bikini Kill, who laid their agenda out in plain sight, with their sound, approach, and lyrics being incredibly empowering to an undeniably (and unjustly) marginalized group of people (aka 50% of the world's population). I'm not going to get into it more than that, but essentially a band like this is important, in addition to being straight-up good.

A few notes on their discography. Revolution Girl Style Now! was their debut, a self-released demo that came out in 1991 (and reissued in 2015). It was followed up by their first official release, a self-titled EP in 1992 that began their relationship with Kill Rock Stars (a fantastic label). Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah was originally released as a split with another band, Huggy Bear, and was the first appearance of their signature anthem, "Rebel Girl". Both their first EP and split would later be compiled on The CD Version Of The First Two Records, which is aptly titled. Their debut LP, Pussy Whipped, came out in 1994, and is a definite essential here. It's follow-up, Reject All American, was released in 1996, a year before they broke up. It's a bit poppier than their prior releases, but still just as strong. A posthumous compilation, The Singles, was put out in 1998. If there is one thing here that must be heard, it's this. Every song is incredible, it clocks in under 20 minutes, and contains some of their best material.

Post-Bikini Kill, its members still remained fairly active. All members except Hanna had been playing in another band called The Frumpies, who were active in the years after Bikini Kill broke up. Hanna formed a short-lived project, Julie Ruin, before fronting Le Tigre, an electronic project that's arguably just as well-known as Bikini Kill. She is now active in another band, The Julie Ruin (key word is "The"), with Kathi Wilcox. They just released a new album last year, which is very solid. In addition, a documentary came out in 2013, The Punk Singer, which documents Hanna's life and career. It is highly, highly recommended if you get the chance to check it out. Enjoy.

Thursday, 2 March 2017

Twelve Hour Turn were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Gainesville/Jacksonville, Florida that were around from 1996 to 2002. They played a melodic and technically intricate brand of emo with screamed vocals (if only there were a word for that...). Their off-kilter rhythms and shouted vocals will definitely appeal to fans of Unwound, Drive Like Jehu, and even Hot Water Music. However, the best comparison is to split-mates I Hate Myself, another Florida band who perfected melodrama. They were signed to No Idea Records, and put out quite a decent chunk of music in their time (relative to others like them). Twelve Hour Turn are a fantastic band, simply put, and definitely recommended. Enjoy.

A Stubborn Reminder...

Please remember, not everything on here is supposed to be free. Enjoy to your heart's content, but if you can, please try and support these bands by purchasing records, going to shows, buying merch, anything if at all possible. Most of them could really use (and deserve) it.